The present specification relates to multi-factor authentication.
Before accessing secure data or entering a secure area, a user may be required to authenticate themselves. Authentication may be performed, for example, using different “authentication factors,” i.e., (i) information that the user knows, such as a password or a Personal Identification Number (PIN), (ii) information that the user uniquely possesses, such as a passport, token, mobile device, or identification card, or (iii) characteristics of the user, including biometric data such as fingerprints or the face geometries. As used by this specification, the term “multi-factor authentication” refers to using two or more different authentication factors when authenticating a user, to increase the assurance that the user has actually been authorized to access a secure system.